Quick answer
Storyblok - Storyblok wins for most builders who want a polished starter CMS with a visual editor and easier team collaboration, while Squidex is the better free-tier pick if you want more generous API and storage limits and a more self-hostable path.
How the free tiers compare
These free tiers solve different problems. Squidex is the more infrastructure-friendly CMS: it gives you a smaller but practical quota bundle, includes CDN coverage, and points to self-hosting if you want to keep control as you grow. Storyblok is the more team-oriented starter: it gives you a visual editor, more API requests, much more traffic, and a clearer collaboration model with seats, locales, and AI credits. The tradeoff is that Storyblok’s free tier is more about getting a small editorial workflow running, while Squidex is better if your concern is staying within a simple quota envelope and potentially moving to your own hosting later. Both are free without a card requirement. After free, Squidex has lower entry paid prices and flat cloud tiers, while Storyblok jumps to a $99/month Growth plan and then a $349/month tier before custom sales pricing.
Squidex vs Storyblok free tier, side by side
| SquidexFTV 54 | StoryblokFTV 60 | |
|---|---|---|
| API requests / callsStoryblok gives 5x the API headroom on the free tier. | 20,000 per month | 100,000 per month |
| TrafficStoryblok is much looser on bandwidth. | 2 GB included | 100 GB per month |
| StorageNo storage quota was provided for Storyblok's free tier. | 500 MB included | Not stated |
| Contributors / seatsThe wording differs, but both free tiers top out at 2 people on the starter level. | 2 contributors included | 1 user seat included, up to 2 user seats total |
| LocalesStoryblok exposes locale limits on the free tier; Squidex does not in the provided data. | Not stated | 2 locales |
| AI creditsOnly Storyblok lists AI usage on the free tier. | Not stated | 25,000 AI credits |
| CDNSquidex explicitly includes both CDN types. | Contents CDN and Assets CDN included | Not stated |
| Credit card required to startBoth products explicitly say no card is required. | No | No |
After you outgrow the free tier
Squidex is the cheaper step-up product on the published self-serve path, with flat pricing starting at €19/month and then €49/month and €99/month. Storyblok starts at $99/month for Growth, then $349/month for Growth Plus, with Premium and Elite priced through sales. Since both pricing trees are mostly flat and no usage-rate table is provided, there is no clean per-unit cost curve to calculate. In practice, Squidex is cheaper for small teams after free; Storyblok becomes the pricier but more collaboration-focused option.
When to pick each one
Pick Squidex when…
- You want an open source headless CMS and may self-host later.
- You need a free tier with API calls, traffic, storage, and contributors clearly capped.
- You care about a lower-cost paid step after free, starting at €19/month.
- You do not need a visual editor as the main selling point.
- You want CDN included on the free tier for content and assets.
Pick Storyblok when…
- You want a visual editor for non-technical editors.
- You need more free API requests and far more traffic headroom.
- You are managing locales, user seats, or a small content team from day one.
- You want built-in collaboration features like content locking and workflows.
- You expect to use integrations such as Figma, Netlify, Vercel, Shopify, Slack, or Cloudinary.
Bottom line
For most builders comparing free tiers, Storyblok is the better default if you want a CMS for a small editorial team and value a visual editor, more API headroom, and broader collaboration features. Squidex wins if you are more quota-sensitive, want open source and self-hosting options, or care about a cheaper paid upgrade path after the free tier. If the free plan is just a test bed, Storyblok is easier to start with. If you expect to outgrow free on cost first, Squidex is the safer bet.
Read the full listings: Squidex and Storyblok. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.